Our Way Forward

Our Way Forward: Manitoba's Culture Policy and Action Plan

Manitoba's cultural sector is an important economic driver for our province. According to Statistics Canada, whose latest numbers are from 2016, culture GDP accounted for $1.6 billion of the total Manitoban economy. There were more than 22,500 culture jobs in Manitoba, or 3.4 per cent of all Manitoba jobs. But culture is so much more.

Sport, Culture and Heritage has completed the first review of Manitoba's cultural policy in nearly three decades. During the consultation process, we learned what Manitobans value about culture. Here is a selection:

• Culture is an integral part of our everyday lives, values, and communities.
• Our culture helps to define who we are as a people, distinguishing us from other parts of the world, making us unique.
• Cultural engagement improves our physical, mental and spiritual health and contributes to our communal well-being.
• Culture is our shared history, language, traditions, beliefs and customs.
• Manitoba is a cultural mosaic and our diversity is a source of strength.

The values expressed during the consultation have lead to the creation of our cultural policy and action plan, which will guide us for the next five to 10 years.

We would like to thank the many cultural stakeholders and organizations, business leaders and individual Manitobans who took the time to provide their input, time, and energy to this process.

Our Way Forward: Manitoba's Culture Policy and Action (pdf 783 KB)